Multiple states are suing TikTok for allegedly contributing to the mental health crisis among youth and violating consumer protection laws. Individual lawsuits were filed in 13 states and the District of Columbia on Oct. 18.
“TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement, according to NPR. “TikTok must be held accountable for the harms it created in taking away the time — and childhoods — of American children.”
Which states are suing TikTok?
The states that have filed lawsuits include New York, California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Washington.
Why are these states suing TikTok?
These states are calling out certain features on the app like beauty filters, which can change a person’s facial structure, age and weight.
“Beauty filters have been especially harmful to young girls,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a written statement. “Beauty filters can cause body image issues and encourage eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and other health-related problems.”
The New York suit alleges TikTok pushes these filters to its youngest users, while the District of Columbia suit says the platform exposes teens with “the kinds of content that TikTok claims not to allow, including videos about weight-loss, body-image, and self-harm content.”
They also point to the platform’s live-streaming features, which allow minors to send streamers money in the form of “gifts.”
TikTok has responded to the accusations, pointing out how negotiations with the attorney generals have been two years in the making.
“We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16,” TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek said. “It is incredibly disappointing they have taken this step rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industrywide challenges.”
Last year, similar lawsuits regarding child safety were filed by multiple states against Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. The news also follows a recent ban by the U.S. government that will become effective on Jan. 19, 2025, unless the company parts ways with its China-based parent company ByteDance.
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